Modern cotton picker parts and innovative picker models have come a long way in a short time. If you’ve been growing cotton for more than a few decades, you know that even as recently as the 1970s and 1980s, cotton harvester equipment was wildly inefficient—it’s only through today’s modern technologies that we’ve been able to raise the total yield rates of fields as high as 95-97%!
But, today’s high crop yields are more than just a product of great cotton picker parts—they’re also the result of better cropping techniques and a forethought to increasing total yield. Sure, cotton croppers were able to get 95% yield rates even 40-50 years ago, but that was often due to a practice called “scrapping.”
Scrapping is essentially the act of harvesting a field twice, going back after an initial harvest to clean up any leftover bolls in order to drive the best yield rates possible. The problem with scrapping, however, is that it’s a wildly inefficient way of driving up your yield. Take a look at four reasons you should avoid scrapping:
First and foremost, scrapping is wildly inefficient in terms of fuel. Going through your fields a second time is going to use twice as much fuel… however you’re going to get a minuscule fraction of the harvest in return. Save your fuel and don’t scrap: you’ll end up costing yourself more in the long run.
After your initial harvest, going back through your field to scrap can have very serious ramifications on soil impaction. Especially if you have drainage tile or in-ground irrigation in place, you could be putting unnecessary strain on these features with a second run-through of your field.
Scrapping puts excess wear on your cotton picker parts, even if they’re not being actively engaged in the capacity they were during the first harvest. Spindles can still break, doffers can still become compounded with debris, etc. Putting excess wear on your cotton picker parts is a good way to cost yourself more money than you’re making scrapping.
Scrapping is time consuming! Going back and essentially re-harvesting sections of your fields takes a lot of time, which could be better spent elsewhere. Time absolutely equals money, so every spare hour you’re scrapping is money down the drain, which isn’t likely to be recouped by your secondary harvest.
Scrapping for yield might seem like a great idea in theory, but in practice it falls far short of its intended benefits. Instead, take a look at a few ways you can ensure superior yield through your first harvest, eliminating the need for scrapping:
Observe your crop development and plan for a single harvest at peak maturation.
Keep your harvester and its equipment in top working order.
Have a harvest plan and path in place that maximizes picking.
Use proper picking and baling techniques that minimize crop loss.
Gone are the days of mandatory scrapping to get every last little bit of your yield! Instead, give some of the above tips some thought and work to maximize your yield on the first and only harvest you’ll need this year.
The cotton picker fan is one of your picker’s most important parts. If it stops working, your harvest will lose efficiency, at least, or fail completely in the worst-case scenario. When you find shortcomings in picking or moistening, it is likely time to act quickly to replace a fan. If you fail to take that step, here are the four essential functions your harvester will miss out on until you install a new fan:
Preventing choke problems: Chokes or missed spots occur most frequently early in the morning, when there is still dew. If this is the case with your chokes, you likely need to plan picking for a later time of day. There will be times this happens no matter the time of day, and you may find you are spending extra time going over rows multiple times. If you consistently have this problem, your air delivery is lacking, and that decreases the functioning of your harvester. Checking your fans when there is a consistent choke problem, and replacing them when needed, can reduce the frequency of this.
Moistening spindles: The spindle moistening system is fan-powered. If your water supply is topped off and the spray nozzle works fine, chances are, the fans that power the whole apparatus are likely falling short. This is fortunately a quick problem to diagnose and address when the other causes are easily eliminated. Inadequate moisture means more seeds and a higher chance of fires, so you definitely want fans working well in this area, too.
Air volume delivery: Fans are also connected to the cotton conveyer duct. This is the seed removing system that depends heavily on airflow. If the fan is not delivering the air, this system will not function. The problem can also be attributed to engine throttle problems and other issues, including picking cotton too early, so you will want to inspect all parts thoroughly before spending money on a new cotton picker fan.
Engine airflow: Just as with any vehicle, your harvester also requires airflow to prevent overheating. That is another essential function that goes neglected when fans are either inefficient or stop working altogether. There is a caveat, though—if you suspect a fire is imminent, the fan will only make the problem worse. So be sure to learn the warning signs of fire, so you can turn it off before the situation becomes serious.
Fans are usually replaced after 600 hours of use. Chances are, if you have not replaced a fan on your picker for a while, it is likely time to buy a new one before you face a complete harvester breakdown. If you are replacing spindles or any other parts around it, you may want to replace the fan at the same time so those parts are all on the same schedule.
If it is time to replace a cotton picker fan, contact Certi-Pik, USA today. We offer a comprehensive catalog of parts so your harvester can perform reliably for a long time.
The best asset for a successful cotton harvest is a good operator. Your harvester definitely ranks high in this area, too, but it can only do so much if you or the operator you hire lacks certain knowledge and skills. Fortunately, teaching people is always possible and learning more about your own harvester is a good investment of time, which makes this a simple problem to solve. Here is what you (or your hired hand) need to do or know to guarantee efficient operation of your harvester:
Read the manual: No, it is not a riveting novel, but it is necessary to read the harvester’s manual and understand the contents. This is especially true if you purchased a new harvester or started using a new model, since they can have their idiosyncrasies. There may be some truly technical content that you may not comprehend, but overall, you will learn cleaning, maintenance, and troubleshooting that can prove essential later—even if you lack the engineering degree to understand the technical specs. You will also learn about the quirks of your machine and how to handle them. You would not enjoy discovering those on accident in the middle of a cotton field.
Know lint quality: This bit of expertise will help you determine the best harvesting time. Many people make the mistake of picking cotton when it is too green or when weather interferes. Wet weather after the boil opens often means waiting until the field dries out. Freezing weather can also compromise them, and the best course of action is to wait for a thaw and let things dry out. The best quality is after the boil opens and enough time passes to let it dry. Check the condition of the boils and the weather report before getting your harvester to work.
Learn how to make adjustments: How you adjust your harvester will determine quality and yield. Many of these adjustments are explained in your manual, but as you use your harvester, you will get some on-the-job training, too. If you deviate from the manual due to particular circumstances, make small adjustments so you can return them to default settings more easily. You do not want to adjust for one situation that never happens again, only to forget what worked every other time.
Center your rows: Badly centered rows lead to poor tracking and inconsistent picking. This is a common operator error that often arises from being in a hurry or having a lack of knowledge related to maneuvering the harvester. It is likely not a great idea to start picking one hour before a storm starts unless you are very skilled at keeping your harvester steady. If you decide to hire someone for this task, devise a “driving test” type of exercise to see if they can center rows well.
Once you become the ideal operator or you decide to hire one instead, be sure to know where you can buy the best cotton picker parts when it comes time to repair or maintain your harvester. Contact Certi-Pik, USA today to see our catalog.
If you are knew to the world of cotton picking, or are just looking to maximize your efficiency and get the best yield possible, then there is one crucial question you ought to be asking: When in the season, and on a day-to-day basis, should I start picking my cotton crop?
As any experienced cotton picker knows, the answer to this question often hinges on the balance between getting the most cotton possible without needing to stop to clean or care for your equipment. To that end, here are a few tips on when to start picking cotton, from your cotton picker parts specialist.
Seeing green
One crucial factor to consider when picking cotton is the amount of green leaves you see on your cotton stalks. While green leaves signify a fresh crop, they can also add a good amount of moisture to your cotton crop. This might sound like a positive thing to an outsider, but cotton growers know that moisture can clog up your cotton picking equipment, necessitating more breaks from picking and slowing down the entire process.
However, waiting for the green leaves to disappear completely is not an option, as this will result in a lower crop yield. Experts tend to agree that picking cotton once somewhere between 85 and 90 percent of the field is open makes for the highest yield and the most efficient picking process. By keeping an eye on your cotton fields every day, you should be able to determine this best picking time for you and your plants.
Measuring humidity
Another major factor to be considered when picking cotton is humidity in the air. For many crops, farmers try to get up as early as possible and start picking, so that they can be done before the harsh heat sets in for the day.
But with cotton, picking too early in the morning might not be ideal, because humidity levels are often at their highest in the morning. In fact, it is not uncommon to see humidity levels at 90 percent each morning in cotton country. As mentioned above, too much moisture can be bad both for the plant and for the overall picking process.
Nighttime also sees high humidity levels, again as high as 90 percent. This leaves us with midday, when humidity levels can drop to somewhere between 30 and 40 percent. This is generally considered prime time for cotton pickers everywhere.
Buying the best
If you want to have the best possible yield without sacrificing efficiency, you need to be thinking about more than just timing. While taking steps to avoid high moisture and humidity levels is important, picking the right gear is just as crucial, and perhaps even more so. After all, quality equipment will inherently be more efficient and make for a better picking experience.
If you are looking for the best cotton pickers and cotton picker parts on the market, it is time for you to get in touch with Certi-Pik, USA. We look forward to helping you find the right equipment for your cotton business.
Year in and year out, cotton pickers experience a tremendous degree of wear and tear as they navigate thousands of acres of crops, diligently picking bolls off of millions of stalks. And while the modern marvels of machinery have made it possible for harvesters to do this seemingly with ease, there’s still a high degree of maintenance that’s required to make sure harvesters are kept functional and efficient.
Preseason is the time to take a proactive approach to maintaining the functionality of a harvester. Cleaning, calibrating and replacing John Deere cotton picker parts before the harvest season is a great way to ensure yet another year of efficient harvesting, while also ensuring your investment in a picker remains sound. Take a look at just some of the maintenance items that should be making the list each preseason:
Tires: Checking for optimal PSI in each tire means rolling out into the field ready to harvest effectively. Low PSI can result in tilts to the row units, creating inefficiency across an entire harvest. Low PSI can also create turbulence as the picker drives forward, creating a bouncing effect that will also decrease the harvest rate.
Row units: You row unit should be properly positioned to capture stalks as they’re fed into the harvester, which means optimizing its height to be as low to the ground as possible without the potential for bumping or skipping. About one inch is usually standard. Along with height, tilt is another factor that needs to be adjusted, to create a seamless transition for stalks as spindles harvest the boll.
Spindles: Spindles need to be thoroughly inspected and replaced where missing or damaged. Be sure to also look at the wear of the spindles to ensure they still remain rugged and have not been worn smooth by last year’s harvest. Spindles generally wear quicker at lower heights, however wear can occur at any height where picking is plentiful.
Doffer: Doffers should be thoroughly cleaned to remove any excess debris and calibrated to run in conjunction with the spindles—general clearance is usually about two tenths of an inch from a spindle row.
Moistening system: Cleaning out your moistening system should be a routine task in the preseason. Be sure to use only specially formulated solutions to protect the integrity of the system—these formulas will target gums, sediments, resins and other buildups cause by green plant matter. Replace damaged pads over time if they present blemishes.
The preseason list goes on and on, also encompassing routine systems such as compressor doors, plant lifters, picker ribs and air conveyance systems. Inspection and maintenance of every part is critical in the preseason and will absolutely prevent costly setbacks and damages come the harvest time. Moreover, paying attention to John Deere cotton picker parts in the preseason allows for more time spent assessing damages or operations before the harvester needs to be functional.
